How did youget that Cary Funk, PhD,associate director ofresearch on scienceand society at thePew Research Center,Washington, D.C.

What do you do at the PewResearch Center?

I foster the development of research
related to science and society. I focus
on survey research, which involves
designing questionnaires that reveal
what and how people think about
different issues related to science.
Public opinion has an important role in
democracy, and our research explores
how well governmental policies line up
with public views and what influences
public opinion.

For example, we did a survey recently
to learn about the public’s views on
things such as genetically modified food,
childhood vaccines, climate change and
genetic modification of babies to decrease
the risk of serious illness. We also looked
at factors underlying opinions, such
as religion, education, gender, age and
political views. After analyzing the data,
we found that opinions about the issues
we surveyed were sometimes divided
along party or religious or other lines, but
no single pattern explained the answers
people selected across all 22 science-related issues.

How do you use your psychologytraining in your job?

My training in statistical and research
methods helps me evaluate which
research designs to use and analyze the
findings. It also brings perspectives on
how people think and the kinds of factors

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“We get a window into what
people think, and to me that
is always interesting,” says
Dr. Cary Funk.